Wednesday, December 22, 2010

In selecting the 2010 winner of the Glenn Beck Honorary Award for Excellence in Misinformation, Media Matters weighed the vigor and meticulous detail the 2009 recipient, Glenn Beck, brought to the craft.

From spreading lies about 'death panels' to cropping Obama's comments about 'American exceptionalism,' from her comfortable perch at Fox News to her self-promoting books and reality show, Palin has truly broken new ground in misinformation. - Media Matters for America

Today "New START", or New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, was passed by a 71-26 vote in the Senate. The vote was a blow to Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, who had tried mightily to persuade his colleagues to defeat the treaty because it would be considered a victory for President Obama.

Additionally Kyl complained that the treaty had been jammed through the Senate despite the fact that this nuclear disarmament agreement with Russia signed by President Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev in April and has been readily available since then.

Basically the treaty requires Russia and the United States to reduce their nuclear warheads by half, cut the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles and missile launchers, and submit to on-site inspections by the other country's weapons experts.

One would think these were good things unless you were a cynical political party playing politics with our counties safety. Essentially the republicans would, without hesitation, put our nation in harms way if it meant denying President Obama just one political victory.

Republican Senators finally caved under the public pressure and media scrutiny to unanimously pass a bill to give continuing health benefits and compensation to first responders who got sick after the 9/11 terror attacks.

It took a public shaming for the party of "Bullhorn moments", "freedom fries" and "flag lapel pins" to do the humane and human thing.

Republicans are cowardly self serving bullies and when push came to shove Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and his disease of a party crumbled just like bullies always do. Shame on the Grand (?) Old Party!

This morning President Obama signed the repeal of D.A.D.T. and in doing so has lifted the ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military.

Obama who has said he benefited from the civil rights movement described the repeal of DADT as "a moment more than two centuries in the making. Obama went on to say "When fully implemented in a matter of months the action will make the nation's armed forces stronger.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

A new study concludes by the University of Maryland says that Fox News viewers are much more likely than others to believe false information about American politics. The Study judged how likely consumers of various news outlets and publications were to believe misinformation about a wide range of political issues.consumers of just about every news outlet believed some information that was false, the study found that Fox News viewers, regardless of political information, were "significantly more likely" to believe that:

By a vote of 65-31 the Senate has repealed the 17-year policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

Of the 31 who voted against repeal all of them were of course Republicans.

The Republican senators who voted against the repeal said their opposition was not related to homophobia. Instead they chose to go with the canard that the military couldn't adjust to a more open policy.

President of the Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solmonese, said of the vote that "The important thing today is that 63 senators were on the right side of history".

President Barack Obama said of the policy's repeal: "By ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay... "And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love."

John McCain when asked about the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" said 'Today Is A Very Sad Day'. Tonight John McCain will cry himself to sleep as the world as he knows it passes him by.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Limbaugh began by comparing the two Democratic congressional leaders to Al Capone and other mob bosses. He then wondered aloud, "how do you stop people like that?"

Here are his exact words...

"It could well be, ladies and gentlemen, that we're fighting the wrong enemy in the Middle East. Maybe the real terrorists that we face are on Capitol Hill. I mean, really, who's doing as good a job to undermine what this country stands for as the terrorists? 'Dingy' Harry, Nancy Pelosi... They are terrorists. They certainly seem suicidal. Look at what they're doing. Look at what they did. They knew they were going to get shellacked in this election and they did it! They knew they were gonna lose. And they want to take us with them."

Here is the audio...

All this hyperbolic rhetoric has me so mad and riled up that I just might.... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Uh, I must have dozed off. Really Rush is that the best you got? Are you back on the Oxy?

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Today repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" passed in the House Of Representatives by a vote of 250-175. This is the 2nd time this year the Congress has passed this bill. Last May the House passed the the repeal of DADT by a vote of 234-194 but the measure stalled in the Senate. Republicans, led by Sen. John McCain, argue that it would be a mistake for the military to undergo a major cultural change while the nation is fighting two wars despite several studies that prove the polar opposite. 77% of Americans polled think "Don't Ask Don't Tell" should be repealed.

Friday, December 10, 2010

The bill known as the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, named after the first responders who became ill as a direct result from their rescue efforts on the morning of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, was defeated in the Senate.

The bill was voted against by EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN SENATOR.

The action was part of the GOP's obstructionist strategy of not allowing any senate action to proceed until the chamber votes on a bill that will continue to Bush era tax cuts for the very wealthy.

The fact that the 9/-11-related legislation was defeated was stunning. The fact that it was defeated so Republican could extend tax cuts to America's millionaires and billionaires is nauseating.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Yesterday, at a launch event for her “Christine PAC” in Virginia, Christine O’Donnell compared extending unemployment benefits with both the ‘Tragedy’ of Pearl Harbor and the death of Elizabeth Edwards.

Here were her exact words...

“Today marks a lot of tragedy…Tragedy comes in threes,” O’Donnell said. “Pearl Harbor, Elizabeth Edwards’s passing and Barack Obama’s announcement of extending the tax cuts, which is good, but also extending the unemployment benefits.”

Definitive proof that she is a true Republican at heart... As if she had one.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

That, for all intense purposes, is the case at hand. When the dust settled though President Obama had some political Jujitsu up his sleeve for both the griping progressives and the gloating Republicans.

At his press conference today President Obama hammered away at the Republicans for "holding hostage" the middle class tax cuts and the unemployment benefits unless they got their tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. Obama continued to counter punched by saying that he "would not play political games" when it came to the livelihood of the people who are truly hurting because of the all too slowly recovering economy. This only served to hammer home the pettiness of the republicans thus turning the tables on what they are referring to as their "Victory".

I know how upset Obama's base is at him right now and even thought I vehemently opposed to the Republicans tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% I have to admit I can't stay mad at him... Too cool are his Jedi mind tricks!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Today the congress voted, albeit symbolically, on a measure which would maintain the current tax rates for 98 percent of American families earning under $250,000, while letting the rates for the richest two% of Americans return to their pre-Bush-era rates.

This forced 168 Republicans to officially go on the record and voting no on maintaining tax cuts for the middle and lower income Americans for the sole reason that the wealthiest in our society would have their tax rates return to what it was under President Clinton. This proves where the GOP's priorities and allegiances truly reside.

Soon to be speaker of the House John Boehner summed up his parties feelings about the vote quite eloquently by saying "It's chicken crap!" and "nonsense".

Isn't it nice to know what he thinks about taking care of the 98% of Americans and having to finally admit that his party is a shill for the wealthy.